Postrel: Why get a better-paying job if you have TV?

9:21 PM,
Dec. 4, 2013

Written by

Virginia Postrel

Are you better off now than you were 10 years ago? For middle-class Americans, a common answer to this version of Ronald Reagan's old question is no. Nor are they optimistic about the future. The recession may be over officially, but a lot of smart people are convinced that broad-based improvements in the standard of living are largely a thing of the past.

Before you embrace the idea that today is worse than yesterday and tomorrow won't be much better, however, consider a common experience:

On a flight across the country, you watch the playoff game on live television, listen to some favorite ...